Tidings
by totallyelf
Summary: Legolas is on his way to Rivendell to bring news of Gollum's escape from the Wood Elves of Mirkwood. Little does he know that this is the start of a journey that will change not only his life but the lives of all Middle Earth.
1. Chapter 1

Legolas paused, his heart heavy with the news he must take to Rivendell. Gollum, the creature Mithrandir had entrusted the elves of Mirkwood to keep safe and watch over had escaped. One day when the elves, in their compassion, let Gollum take his daily climb in a tree guarded by them, orcs had attacked. When the battle had finished Gollum had been nowhere to be seen. The elves had thoroughly searched Mirkwood with the small hope that they would find the creature. As was suspected, Gollum had disappeared, and the elves were most likely to blame.

Sighing, Legolas emerged from the endless trees of Mirkwood and gazed into the distance, his keen elven eyes scanning the landscape in front of him. He had many miles to go before he made it to Rivendell. First he must cross the Anduin, the Great River, then he had to make the difficult treck across the Misty Mountains, and from there, go on across the plains to Rivendell and still after that he must tell the horrible news to Gandalf and Elrond.

Not that Legolas wasn't up to that challenge, nothing really interesting had happened since the Battle of the Five Armies, except for a few scrimmages between the spiders and such. Indeed Legolas had been getting rather bored, and he was expected to live untill, well, the end of the world.

Taking one last long look at the forest of his homeland, Legolas took a step towards the Misty Mountains. Little did he know that this was the beginning of a journey that would change him, and indeed the world, for the rest of all time.


	2. Chapter 2

On his long legs it only took Legolas a day to reach the river. Humming to himself he paused to scan his surroundings. The river flowed past him like a herd of swiftly running white horses, just looking at it made his eyes dance with excitement. on the other side of the river were a few trees, some scraggily bushes, and other natural odds and ends.

During his walk Legolas had had the odd feeling that someone, or something, had been watching him. Legolas, being used to the eyes of spiders in the forest, was fully aware of the feeling, but he was not really worried.

Taking his bow off his back, Legolas selected a particularly strong arrow, one he had made for this specific purpose. Out of his pack he chose a rope, a beautifully made one, although not nearly as strong and supple as the ones of the make of the elves of Lorien. Hooking and tying the rope onto his arrow, Legolas sighted a particularly strong tree. Taking less than a second, he aimed, shot and hit his target. Allowing himself a small smile Legolas simply tied his end of the rope to a tree on his side of the river and walked across. "Oh, the wonders of Elven balance," he cried out as he lightly jumped off the rope onto the far bank.

Suddenly, his highly trained Elven ears caught a sound on the wind. Faster than a human's eye could follow his bow was in his hand with an arrow fitted to it, waiting, waiting for the slightest hint of danger. Nothing was there. Spinning, Legolas kept his arrow notched, he had been well trained, and not even the years of peace had made the elves forget the horrible years of the past. Not even the thousands of years since Sauron, had made then forget...

Scanning the countryside Legolas determined that the cost was clear, but what had it been. He could have sworn he had seen something large and fairly dark, but what had it been? Had his eyes been decieving him? Legolas doubted very much so. He could see spiders at night in the mists of Mirkwood, his eyesight could not desert him now. What had it been?

Legolas brushed the thought from his mind, he had work to do. Rivendell was still a mountain range away. Not even his keen elven gaze could see over them. Promising himself he would think about the incident when he made camp that night, Legolas continued on his way.


End file.
